Most surgical procedures require the use of fenestrated drapes which allow the surge ion access to the appropriate body region while simultaneously covering the rest of the body. The use of surgical drapes is not confined to humans. They are frequently used in animal surgery whenever it is desirable to cover all of the body save the operating field. Such drapes today are usually disposable and water repellant. They can be attached to the body by adhesive to prevent sliding during surgery. Drapes of this sort are usually best-suited to use on relatively flat, smooth portions of the body such as the abdomen.
In performing vasectomy procedures the surge ion operates on the patient's scrotum. Such procedures present special surgical problems. The male reproductive organs' shapes are not ones to which surgical drapes readily conform. The scrotum tends to thicken and contract when cooled during exposure. This causes the testes and sperm ducts to move upward toward the groin, making surgery in this region difficult. Scrotal surgery is normally performed with the patient lying on his back and his penis placed against his abdomen with its lower surface facing upward. This is not a stable position and the penis frequently enters into the surgical field.
Fenestrated surgical drapes are manufactured with openings which allow access to the surgical field. They can be produced in a variety of forms and with a variety of sizes and shapes of surgical openings. Normally the surgical drape is placed above the surgical zone. When operating on irregularly shaped regions it may be advantageous to position the drape in a different manner. It is suggested that when surgery is performed in the scrotal region the scrotum be passed through a hole in the drape and placed above the drape. This orientation has two benefits; it isolates the scrotum from the body, and it locates the penis under the drape so as to keep if from intruding into the field of surgery.
The scrotum contracts or relaxes in reaction to changes in temperature. When cooled, it contracts and its surface thickens, pulling the testes and sperm ducts upward toward the body. Such changes make surgery more difficult and so it is desirable to keep the scrotum warm to encourage the desirable relaxation response. Presently, surgical aids for maintaining a desired temperature include heat lamps, electrical heating pads, and sterile wet toweling. All require the use of expensive reuseable equipment, which must be sterilized before later use and which can clutter or obstruct the surgical field.
Pouchlike heating or cooling devices containing separated chemical reactants, which only change temperature when manipulated so as to mix those reactants by rupturing at least one internal pouch are admittedly well-known in the art. See, for example: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,080,953 (Mitchell); 3,854,156 (Williams); and 3,175,558 (Cailouette). Similarly, fenestrated surgical drapes are well-known; see U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,456 (Stoneback). Williams, the closest to theses patents to the instant invention, teaches only the use of a chemically-activated temperature regulating device in a combination mattress and blanket for transporting infants. It does not contemplate use in surgery. The now-expired Cailouette patent teaches the use of a chemically-activated temperature-regulating pack surrounded by a disposable outer cover, but does not contemplate use in surgery. The present invention successfully combines the temperature-control function of the already-known thermal pouches with the field-isolating function of surgical drapes in a low-cost, disposable structure, while simultaneously facilitating unimpeded access to the surgical field.
The present invention solves both the problems of scrotal contraction and intrusion of the penis into the surgical field.